SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has signed on to serve as honorary co-chairperson of the 2016 California Economic Summit. She joins former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta as honorary co-chairs for the Summit. The 2016 annual statewide meeting for the Summit will be held December 13-14 in Sacramento.

"The California Economic Summit—along with its network of businesses, communities and civic organizations—aims to spur California's economic growth in the 21st century. This year's Summit will continue with its ongoing commitment to help ensure we support all Californians through workforce training, affordable housing and many other economic priorities," said Senator Feinstein, who has served California in the U.S. Senate since she was first elected in 1992.

The Summit, which began in 2012, champions solutions to meet California's triple bottom line of a growing economy, improving environmental quality and increasing opportunity for all.

The Summit released its 2016 Roadmap To Shared Prosperity earlier this year. Summit Action Teams have been working to develop, advocate and implement ideas that will advance prosperity in California by expanding our workforce, housing and water sustainability capacity.

One million more skilled workers: With wages stagnating and income inequality rising—and millions of Californians struggling to make ends meet in low-wage jobs—industries from health care to manufacturing are still struggling to find skilled workers. The Summit has set a goal of closing this looming "skills gap" by supporting the formation of regional civic organizations that can align the state's expansive training and education programs with the needs of employers.

One million more homes: With housing supply falling far below demand—driving up housing prices and rents beyond what millions of Californians can afford—the Summit will lead a comprehensive effort aimed at reducing the costs and increasing the supply of all types of housing near transit and jobs.

One million more acre-feet of water each year: With Californians using substantially more water each year than the state's infrastructure can reliably supply, the Summit will also support the expansion of watershed management solutions that can help regions conserve, capture, and reuse enough water to achieve a sustainable water balance.

"We are honored to have Senator Feinstein join Secretaries Shultz and Panetta as honorary co-chairs of the Summit," said Jim Mayer, President and CEO of CA Fwd, which conceived and organizes the year-long project with the California Stewardship Network. "The influence of their participation helps underscore the importance of the issues we are addressing to make sure that California's economy continues to be a global leader."

The Summit's annual meeting will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center and is expected to attract hundreds of state and regional private, public and civic leaders from across California.

ABOUT CA FWD

California Forward (CA Fwd) is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, devoted to improving the performance of government in California. It believes that increased emphasis on accountability and transparency will create government that Californians deserve and expect. CA Fwd strongly advocates for confidence and trust in elected officials as being an essential ingredient to good government.